Local pig-rearers get specialised training in value-added pork processing -compliments of the De Mendonca trio, Guyanese professionals living in USA

THREE members of a Guyanese family, all trained professionals, have launched a programme to give back to their community by offering their skills in rural development, food technology and business to small scale pig rearers, to add value to their products and improve the bottom line of their businesses.
The three siblings are Dr. Aubrey De Mendonca, Associate Professor of Food Science at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, USA; Annette De Mendonca, Senior Computer Systems Analyst at Raritan, New Jersey, USA; and Arnold De Mendonca, Sustainable Rural Development Specialist in the local office of the Inter –American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA).

At their own initiative, they recently staged what they called the first Annual Value Added Pork Production Workshop in Guyana. The event was held at the Carnegie School of Home Economics during three days in the latter half of October, and the beneficiaries were twenty-one pig rearers from across the country, who also received certificates as having acquired skills as pork processors.

The training was provided by the De Mendoncas free of charge.

Arnold DeMendonca, who is based locally, said: “It is well known that adding value to food products is an excellent way to generate added income and realise larger profits, compared to sales of fresh food products.”

Arnold De Mendonca explained that the motive driving himself and two siblings was a desire to give back to the community, not by cash donations to some charity or other, but by offering their skills to those who could benefit most from learning them, “now that we are professionals.”

The project has enabled the participants to add value to their pig rearing through teaching them how to make pork products which are popular among lovers of pork, sausages, hams etc!

Among the topics covered were sanitation and personal hygiene during production of value added pork products; production of fresh pork sausage; production of smoked, cured ham; important considerations for small business start-up for value added pork products in Guyana; materials and equipment, processing cooking and sampling.

Dr. Aubrey De Mendonca disclosed that pork-processing techniques practised by the workshop participants were the same techniques taught at the Meats Laboratory at Iowa State University, USA.

The De Mendonca trio received support from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Development (READ) Project, which selected the participants; and the opening day programme included inspiring remarks delivered to the participants by Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.

Arnold De Mendonca said he and his siblings would stage another programme for pig rearers next year. In the meantime, he said, the possibility existed that farmers and technicians could access overseas training at the Iowa State University, where his brother Aubrey works.

“We are working to see if the fees for the training there can be subsidised, so that we can get a Guyanese or two to attend annually,” he said.

(Clifford Stanley)

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